Christian Crier
What are your favorite inspirational Bible verses? Yours may differ from mine but here are 10 of my most inspirational Bible verses and why I chose them.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
These verses are not only inspirational but the entire chapter of Romans 8 is. Right after we see how Paul struggled with sin in Romans 7, we see that the victory is assured in Christ Jesus in chapter 8. How inspiring to know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. This includes earthly or heavenly (evil spirits) powers, angels (fallen ones) or rulers (any one in authority), nothing present today, nothing in the future (“nor things to come”), not height (success) nor depth (dark nights of the soul), not in this life or even our death. In case Paul left anything out he says “nor anything else in all creation.” That covers everything, including ourselves. God has no aborted children!
Second Corinthians 4:16-18 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
This may be hard for a young Christian to identify with unless they live in nations that are persecuting and killing believers for their faith. The older I get, the more I appreciate these Scriptures. My body is indeed wasting away. All believers will face affliction for their beliefs but this “is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (and beyond description). We should not be looking at “the things that are seen” (all the bad around us) but “to the things that are unseen,” which is the place that Jesus is preparing for us (John14:2-3). This earth is “transient” or passing away but Jesus promises a room in the mansions of heaven that we do not yet see. If we embrace these verses then we will not “lose heart.”
Second Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
This might seem like a strange verse that I singled out as inspirational but let me explain. Just picture in your mind that the eyes of God are scanning the entire earth (“throughout the whole earth”) and His eyes are looking for those who are “blameless toward him.” He is doing this so that He can give “strong support” to such men and women. The second part of this verse is a rebuke for Israel’s King Asa as he depended upon the king of Syria instead of relying on God. He trusted in his own resources and leaned upon his own strength instead of trusting in the God Who could have won the victory. As a result, Asa did foolishly and God told him that “from now on you will have wars.” Even today God is looking for those who are fully dependent upon Him with a blameless heart (1 John 1:9, 2 Cor 5:21) so that He can give them “strong support” in their time of need.
Hebrews 13:5c-6 “I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”
This reminds me of 2 Timothy 4:16-17 where Paul said that at his first defense, no one stood by him and everyone had abandoned him but only the Lord stood by him. Even when believers abandon us at our time of need, the Lord will not ever leave us and never will He forsake us. Some Christians in other nations where persecution is severe, even to the point of death, may forsake their faith or they deny the Lord but the Lord will not forsake His own even if they’re the last one standing.
For another list of 22 Inspirational Bible verses check out this article on What Christians Want To Know.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If we look at the context of this entire 4th chapter we can see that Paul is not saying that we can do anything we want or that God will grant us every request. Paul was saying that he can persevere in the faith because it is Christ who will strengthen him. Why did he need strengthening? It was because Paul had been enduring tortures, beatings, hunger, cold, and all kinds of sufferings. In all these things he learned to be content (Phil 4:11). Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5) but through Christ, we “can do all things” because He Himself will strengthen us if it is for His glory.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare [literally “peace”] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
God knows the plans that He has for us but it does not say that we have to know. God declares that His plans are for our best (welfare) and they are not for bad (evil). These plans are for our future hope. If we believe this, we can pillow our head on the sovereignty of God. Knowing that God is in control should give us peace of mind. I saw a license plate that said “God is my co-pilot.” I would rather it read that “God is my pilot” and I am the co-pilot.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
This seems close to Jeremiah 29:11 except for the fact that even bad things work out for our best. The Bible has a history where God uses evil for His purpose. That means that everything…all things…work together for our ultimate good. It doesn’t say that all things are good but that all things, good or bad, work to our benefit. These “all things” do not work out for the best for those who are not called by God. The opposite is true for non-believers; all things will work out for their worse.
Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Taken from The Lord is My Shepherd, this last verse has David looking forward and seeing with the eyes of faith, a future that is full of hope. David is certain that he will dwell with the Lord “forever” or for time without end. This is clearly a reference to eternal life. God’s goodness and mercy is going to “follow [him] all the days of [his] life” meaning that even after his death on this earth, God’s mercy and goodness will follow him to his eternal dwelling place with God. This eternal dwelling place is the coming Kingdom of Heaven.
John 10:28-29 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
This is one of the first verses that I committed to memory. Why? It’s because so many feel that they are unworthy to be saved. Some days they feel saved and the next they feel lost. They are not sure if they are saved or not from day to day. How unsettling that must be but these verses give us a mental picture that we are secure and held firm but the mighty hands of Jesus and the Father. When my children were young I tried to see if they could snatch a marble out of my hand when it was clinched tight. Even a strong man has difficulty opening a clinched hand. How impossible it is to snatch someone out of the mighty hands of God! Jesus reassures us that “no one is able to snatch them out” of His hand or the Father’s hand. What an inspirational image and promise this is!
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
The gospel of John is my favorite because John writes so much about the security that is in Christ Jesus. This verse is somewhat like John 10:28-29 with the exception of this precious statement of Jesus; “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Wow! What unconditional love this reveals. Jesus will not ever turn anyone away, or cast them out, once they come to Him….no matter what!
Conclusion
You can claim these same promises by trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you have not already done so, why not repent of your sins, confess them to God, see the sinfulness of your sins, apologize to God for these offenses, and put your trust in Jesus to save you? Romans 8:1 could be another inspirational verse as it says that “There is therefore no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” If you are not in Christ, you stand condemned already (John 3:18). There is no other way to heaven except by Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross (Acts 16:30-31) and there is no other way to the heavenly kingdom except through a relationship with Christ (Acts 4:12).
Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts
Article by Pastor Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Senior Writer at What Christians Want to Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design
Resources: The Holy Bible, New International Version
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